Does the iPod video out affect navigating the phone through my idrive? Or is it just for video.

I have ordered the lightning adapter and I don't watch videos in the car. However, I'm not sure if the lack of video also affects my ability to control my phone and see track listings, address book etc..

Does the iPod video out affect navigating the phone through my idrive? Or is it just for video.

I have ordered the lightning adapter and I don't watch videos in the car. However, I'm not sure if the lack of video also affects my ability to control my phone and see track listings, address book etc..

Could anyone answer this for me please? Thx!

It will affect the iPod feature out & feel to your iDrive.

I just don't understand why apple just did not go with a mini USB connection?

It would have kept all of us happy and probably would have picked up more customers, alot of people dislike iPhones because of this. If you think they have cornered the market imagine if it had a usb connection?

Long term everyone wants intergration to cross platforms, I think eventually you want your phone to talk direct to your computer and not muck around with special programs, itune's etc.

It will be interesting to see how future Microsft OS phones & W8 talk to each other and some cars are coming out with Windows based systems now.

Did'nt BMW talk about Windows based systems in there cars sometime back or they going that way? A wireless connections to your car will happen down the track as well as keeping Bluetooth.

With LTE (4G) sims being intergrated into futue BMW's via the snap in cradle (as per the press release by BMW a couple months back in Europe) a wireles connection to the Nav (CIC) from your laptop would be great for the kids in the back seat?

Does the iPod video out affect navigating the phone through my idrive? Or is it just for video.

I have ordered the lightning adapter and I don't watch videos in the car. However, I'm not sure if the lack of video also affects my ability to control my phone and see track listings, address book etc..

Could anyone answer this for me please? Thx!

It will only effect the iPod video playing....

Everything else like music tracks/ control using steering buttons, etc... will work.
Address Book actually works via Bluetooth - so nothing to do with any cable.

I would just like to know the features would I get by connecting an iPhone 5 via the lightning cable.

Main things required is being able to access my music including track names & album art etc and charging.

I assume making calls an address book etc will be connected via bluetooth?

Yes, you'll get track info, library navigation (only while attached over USB or through cradle), Bluetooth calls, Bluetooth audio streaming, and full BMW Apps functionality EXCEPT the iPod Out interface and video playback of your library. If you're still not sure what iPod Out means, I've included a video below. You'll get everything else you hear all of us cool kids talking about.

I just don't understand why apple just did not go with a mini USB connection?

It would have kept all of us happy and probably would have picked up more customers, alot of people dislike iPhones because of this. If you think they have cornered the market imagine if it had a usb connection?

This has been asked and answered several times in several threads. If you take a look at the pinout diagram of the 30-pin connector, it's always been capable of outputting far more than a normal USB data signal, which was largely what enabled the existence of the huge swath of accessories out there -- including our cradles that can pull analog audio, digital audio for newer cars, and iPod Out. I'm sure that as the Lightning adapter is developed over its expected decade lifecycle (according to Apple), it too will have far more capabilities than USB. Could Apple have included a USB connector AND standards-based connectors for everything else it wanted to support rather than bundling all of that functionality into a single connector? Of course -- but Apple's minimalist design ethic would never allow that, it would complicate form-fitting accessory design and lead to more porous protective cases, and in an era where everything is getting thinner and lighter, the more excess ports that can be trimmed, the better (for Apple, at any rate).

A pure USB data connection would require more complex and expensive internals on attached accessories that could interface with the iPod's stored data in its native format -- which requires the accessories to support all formats that the iPhone does, and if the iPhone's file format support were expanded later or the APIs to access its data changed to support new functionality, compatibility with those accessories might break partially or completely, whereas if the iPhone decodes the data and outputs a raw signal, the accessories remain compatible into the future. USB-only connectivity would also mean that things like video output to TVs (or iDrive) would become impossible. You may not care about video out and frankly neither do I, but it's not as if Apple just arbitrarily decided to create a connector functionally identical to USB but just shaped differently.

Quote:

Originally Posted by watrob

Long term everyone wants intergration to cross platforms, I think eventually you want your phone to talk direct to your computer and not muck around with special programs, itune's etc.

That's a great ideal, but that would require standards for everything, and new functionality would be held up until a standard for it were developed and broadly supported. I definitely like standards, but I also recognize Apple's huge success in having a completely vertically integrated iOS system. It's definitely proprietary and closed, but it delivers a first-rate user experience, I would argue for the most part far better than anything the competition has. Some people like being able to pick and choose a patchwork of standards-compliant solutions that best suit their needs to achieve their desired goals, but other people just want a single easy, integrated, comprehensive solution that works. I personally prefer the former on my PC which is why I use Windows, but I prefer the latter on my phone, which is why I have an iPhone.

Yes, you'll get track info, library navigation (only while attached over USB or through cradle), Bluetooth calls, Bluetooth audio streaming, and full BMW Apps functionality EXCEPT the iPod Out interface and video playback of your library. If you're still not sure what iPod Out means, I've included a video below. You'll get everything else you hear all of us cool kids talking about.

The problem is entirely BMW ... Every time a new iPhone comes out, they take about 8 months to produce a new snap-in adaptor. Every other third party audio add-on company gets up to date within a month ... but BMW take 8 months.

BMW should fire the firm doing this work for them, and get someone competent. They should also be able to sell these adaptors for at least half the price they currently charge. It gives a very poor image of BMW ... basically, that they are slow, kludgy and behind the times.

I don't see how lighting to 30 pin helps here. The lightning cable is a data cable - idrive results should be the same, no? I got one too, but now I ponder how good an idea it really was, what with a case and all- how will it fit?

BMW should just scrap the whole cradle development cycle. The cradle provides such little value it's completely redicious to continue.

The cost of this new cradle is going to be more than the phone. For what. A different iPod interface that cripples the rest of idrive. Video display when in park and debatable improvements to cellphone reception.

Just give folks additional USB ports in the center console and dump the cradles for good.

They should spend the time improving the apps platform and add news apps.

BMW should just scrap the whole cradle development cycle. The cradle provides such little value it's completely redicious to continue.

The cost of this new cradle is going to be more than the phone. For what. A different iPod interface that cripples the rest of idrive. Video display when in park and debatable improvements to cellphone reception.

Just give folks additional USB ports in the center console and dump the cradles for good.

They should spend the time improving the apps platform and add news apps.

This is the best and most insightful post I've seen on this forum for some time.

If you had just added fix integration of iPhone SMS and email, you would have covered everything!

Will it be possible to fit a cradle and the LTE adaptor together anyway?

BMW release there update for the iPhone 5 / iOS 6 today! You can now read your new text with mobile office and your iPhone.

If you read the PDF for this lastest update you will see it is for IOS 5 still, BMW have not updated the firmware for IOS 6 yet? and emails to iDive will not work until the bug in IOS 6 is fixed by Apple. (it last worked with IOS 6 Beta 3)

I don't see how lighting to 30 pin helps here. The lightning cable is a data cable - idrive results should be the same, no? I got one too, but now I ponder how good an idea it really was, what with a case and all- how will it fit?

The adapter converts the digital audio sent from the iPhone's Lightning connector into analog audio that can be used by cars that require an analog input via a Y-cable. iDevices with Lightning connectors no longer output analog audio signals the way devices with the 30-pin connector did, but the adapter has a DAC to restore that functionality.

Quote:

Originally Posted by apw2607

BMW should just scrap the whole cradle development cycle. The cradle provides such little value it's completely ridiculous to continue.

The cost of this new cradle is going to be more than the phone. For what. A different iPod interface that cripples the rest of idrive. Video display when in park and debatable improvements to cellphone reception.

Just give folks additional USB ports in the center console and dump the cradles for good.

They should spend the time improving the apps platform and add news apps.

Spot on!

Quote:

Originally Posted by arnsbrae

This is the best and most insightful post I've seen on this forum for some time.

If you had just added fix integration of iPhone SMS and email, you would have covered everything!

Will it be possible to fit a cradle and the LTE adaptor together anyway?

Nope, the LTE hotspot uses the same baseplate connector and does not appear to offer a pass-through connector to stack a phone on top of it. But as the above post hinted, a mobile hotspot would actually make far better use of that connector than a phone IMHO. And before people say "Yes but you can just activate Mobile Hotspot on your cell phone", that's true, but that has its caveats:

1. Your phone might not support it.
2. Your phone might not support simultaneous voice and data.
3. Even if your phone DOES support simultaneous voice and data, it might drop from LTE to 3G data when you're on a call (AT&T does this).
4. LTE might not be available from your phone's carrier in your area and you might be unable/unwilling to switch your service to another carrier just to get LTE hotspot.
5. If you're not the only driver of said car, you can use this as a way to offer mobile hotspot without you being in the car or enabling Mobile Hotspot on everyone's phones.

Just wanted to let everyone know that I just received my lightning adapter and all my iPhone 5 / iPod functionality is in-tact on my 2011 5 series. The only thing that you obviously cannot do is watch videos.
But in case there were others that are worried that they will no longer be able to control their iPod and/or iPhone (see track listings, song selection, control volume on steering wheel, charge, etc..) EVERY function works as normal, except for watching videos.

Note: unfortunately, my car was manufactured two months prior to BMW apps. As such, I cannot comment as to that functionality. But I'm certainly pleased that I can at least utilize the idrive functionality.

Thanks to everyone for your help and I apologize if my post is repetitive to what others may be posting.